Locomotive tender



Aug. 15, 1939. J. w. McCURDY LOCOMOTIVE TENDER Filed April 15, 1937 I i. 1 i. I .5 m

km w WM n M Patented Aug. 15, 1939 LOCOMOTIVE TENDER James W. McCurdy, Erie, Pa., assignor to The Standard Stoker Company, Incorporated, a corporation of Delaware Application April 15, 1937, Serial No. 137,017

2 Claims.

This invention relates to locomotive tenders which are equipped with means for advancing coal to a crushing device.

One object of this invention is to provide, ina

locomotive tender having means for advancing fuel forwardly, a crushing device which is operated from the same prime mover utilized to operate the fuel advancing means.

Specifically, this invention contemplates the provision, in a locomotive tender having a. reciprocable pusher member for advancing fuel forwardl'y, of a crushing device which is operated from the same prime mover utilized to transmit reciprocatory movement to the pusher member.

A further object of this invention resides in the provision of a reciprocable crushing device which is operated from the same prime mover utilized to transmit reciprocatory movement to the pusher member.

A still further object of this invention resides in the provision'of means for causing said pusher member to be selectively engaged with or disengaged from its operative relation with said prime mover during continued operation of the crush- 25 ing device.

Other objects and advantages of the invention,

will become apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a central, vertical, longitudinal section of the forward portion of a locomotive tender showing the invention in similar section with parts thereof in side elevation, and

Fig. 2 is a plan section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

On the drawing, a locomotive tender is indicated generally at Ill, comprising the fuel bin H and the water compartment 12, the two being separated by the rear slope sheet 13, side slope sheets such as II and the fuel bin floor 15. Beneath the floor l5 and above the tender frame I6 is a compartment l1 which opens forwardly. A vertical plate 18 defines the rearward extent of this compartment. The lower end of the rear 45 slope sheet 13 is offset in a horizontal plane above the rearward end of the floor 15 to form a horizontal opening or slot I9.

The fuel advancing means is indicated by A and includes a pusher member or head mounted to reciprocate in said horizontal opening I!) and over the floor ii. In order to prevent vertical and lateral movement of the pusher member 20, the latter is mounted to reciprocate in a track 2| made fast to the floor 15. Additional pusher 55 members or heads 22, 23 are mounted at spaced intervals along the rear slope sheet 13. The intermediate head 23 is flexibly connected to the pusher member 20 by links such as 24 while the rearmost head 22 and the inter-mediate head 23 are flexibly connected by links 25. Pusher heads 5 22; 23 are also mounted to reciprocate in a track 8 secured to the rear slope sheet 13. It will be apparent from Fig. 1 that as the pusher member 20 and associate heads 22, 23 are moved forward- 1y, fuel will be advanced toward the front of the tender. Rearward movement of the pusher member 20 and heads 22, 23 loosens the coal preparatoryto forward advancement thereof.

Immediately forward of the track 2|, the floor 15 is provided with an aperture 26 through which fuel falls into a hopper 21 secured to the under side of the floor l5. Within the hopper 21 is a crushing device comprising a reciprocable head 28 having teeth or prongs 2811 on its front face. As the head 28 reciprocates across the bottom wall 29 of the hopper 21, u'ncrushed lumps of fuel are forced against suitable teeth 30' which may be formed integrally with the forward end of the hopper 21. Upon being crushed, the fuel is urged forwardly by suitable means which may be in the form of a. pressure .fluid jet member 3| arranged to propel the crushed fuel to the locomotive firebox (not shown).

Since the fuel advancing means and the crushing device employ reciprocating elements, I provide a single prime mover for operating them. In the present embodiment, the prime mover consists of an engine B having a cylinder 32 provided with a piston 33 and a cylinder head 34 which contains suitable valve mechanism for causing reciprocating motion of the piston 33. The cylinder head 34 also includes suitable means operable by a rod 35 for causing the piston 33 to return to its starting position in the event of stalling for any reason during its stroke. Inasmuch as Patent 1,363,333, granted December 28, 1920, to N. M. Lower, fully illustrates and describes this reciprocating engine and control thereof, further description herein is not deemed necessary.

The piston '33 has secured thereto a rod 36 carrying a. crosshead 31 which reciprocates in the guide 38 during operation of the engine B. One end of a connecting rod 39 is pivotally related with the crosshead 31 while the opposite thereof is pivoted to an arm 40 loosely carried on a shaft 4|. Shaft 41 is fixed in a bracket 9 which is firmly secured to the vertical plate Ill. The arm 40 has a tubular extension 42 extending along the shaft 4| and has slidably keyed thereto a clutch mem- 55 beruatanendremotefromsaidarm ll. Intermediate the clutch member 42 and the arm II, the tubular extension 42 loosely carries an arm 44 which at its upper end is flexibly connected to one end of a link II. The link ll is operatively connected to the under side of the pusher member 2..

Clutch teeth I. are formed with the arm 4| for cent with the teeth a of the clutch member I. The clutch member II is slidable alongthe tubular extension 42 by means of a forked shifter secured to a rod 41. Rod 41 is slidably mounted in the bracket 3 and has an operative connection with suitable linkage 42 which is manually Operable. Normally, the rod 41, forked shifter OI and clutch member 42 are maintained in the position shown in Fig. 2 by'means of a spring ll.

Reciprocating motion to the fuel crushing head 2| is imparted by means of a link II pivoted at 5| to the housing I2. One end of the link 50 is connected to the crosshead 3I while the other end is suitably connected to a rod 52 secured to the head 22 and slidable in a guide bearing 54 of the hopper 2'l.

In the operation of this device, the head" of the fuel crushing device reciprocates continuously during operation of the engine B. In this manner, uncrushed fuel is pushed against the stationary teeth 30 and broken down to a size suitable for efficient firing. Should a clog stall the head 28 in a position intermediate the extremities of its travel, the piston may be returned to that end of the cylinder from which the piston started its stroke, by manipul tion of the rod 35, as described in the aforesai Patent No. 1,363,333, granted to N. M. Lower.

When the supply of fuel immediately above the aperture 26 is depleted, additional fuel may be advanced thereover by placing the fuel advancing means A in operation. This is accomplished by drawing forwardly the operating rod 60 of the linkage 4|, whereupon the rod 41, shifter 90 and clutch member 43 are moved to a position whereinthe teeth a of the clutch member 43 are caused to engage teeth 46 of the arm 44. Thus, the arm ll becomes keyed to the arm and moves in unison therewith to transmit reciprocatory motion to the pusher member 20 and associated heads 22, 23. Forward movement of the fuel advancing means A pushes fuel toward the aperture 26,: while rearward movement thereof merely loosens the fuel without retrograde movement of fuel due to the sloping rear faces of the pusher member 2| and heads 22, 23. Reciprocating movement will be transmitted to the fuel advancing means A so long as the operator maintains the spring 49 in a compressed position by the linkage l2. As soon as the operator releases his grasp on the operating rod 60, the spring 49 returns the rod 41, forked shifter 30 and clutch member 43 to the position shown in Fig. 2, thereby interrupting the operation of the fuel advancing means A.- It will be noted that full control of the fuel advancing means may be had without interrupting operation of the fuel crushing device.

From the foregoing, those familiar with the art will readily understand that a novel fuel advancing and crushing mechanism has been provided which is operated by a single prime mover and having a new and efficient arrangement for controlling the operation of the advancing means independently of the operation of the crushing device. I

I claim:

I. In a locomotive tender having a fuel bin including a floor,a hopper at the forward end of said fuel bin beneath the level of said fuel bin floor, a conduit communicating with said hopper and extending forwardly therefrom, an element of a crusher rigidly mounted in the forward end of the hopper at the communicating portions of said hopper and said conduit, a reciprocating engine mounted on the tender beneath the fuel bin floor, means for moving fuel forwardly along the floor of said fuel bin to said hopper, means transmitting reciprocating movement from said engine to said fuel advancing means, means in said hopper for moving forwardly therethrough to said conduit, said means including a crusher element cooperating with said first-named crusher element for crushing the fuel as it is delivered to said conduit, and means transmitting reciprocating movement from said engine to said secondnamed fuel advancing means.

2. In a locomotive tender having a fuel bin including a floor, a hopper at the forward end of said fuel bin beneath the level of said fuel bin floor, a conduit communicating with said hopper and extending forwardly therefrom, an element of a crusher rigidly mounted in the forward end of the hopper at the communicating portions of said hopper and said conduit, a reciprocating engine mounted on. the tender beneath the fuel bin floor, nieans for moving fuel forwardly along the floor of said fuel bin to said hopper, means transmitting reciprocating movement from said engine to said fuel advancing means, means in said hopper for moving fuel forwardly therethrough to said conduit, said means including a crusher element cooperating with said firstnamed crusher element for crushing the fuel as it is delivered to said conduit, means transmitting reciprocating movement from said engine to said second-named fuel advancing means and means for interrupting the operation of said first-named fuel advancing meansduring continued operation of said second named fuel advancing means.

" JAMES W. McCURDY. 

